Redwood Investment Management LLC Takes $1.16 Million Position in Aflac Incorporated $AFL

Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 9,927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,164,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Aflac in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Groupe la Francaise acquired a new stake in shares of Aflac in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Aflac during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Aflac during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AFL opened at $117.53 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.12 and a quick ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.21. Aflac Incorporated has a 12 month low of $104.66 and a 12 month high of $130.22.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $4.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.11 billion. Aflac had a return on equity of 13.27% and a net margin of 26.91%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Aflac Incorporated will post 7.04 EPS for the current year.

Aflac Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Aflac’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AFL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Aflac from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Mizuho set a $116.00 target price on Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $138.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $99.00 target price (up from $98.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $124.00 price objective (up from $114.00) on shares of Aflac in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 63,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.12, for a total value of $7,441,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,169,435 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,044,133,662.20. This represents a 0.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 498,625 shares of company stock valued at $58,523,683. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Aflac Profile

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.